2 fired, 5 disciplined in Volusia fire probe

DeLAND -- Two Volusia County Fire Department captains were fired for failing to act after a female firefighter complained that male firefighters made sexual advances, slept in their underwear and watched the Playboy Channel in the firehouse.

Five other department employees were disciplined as a result of an eight-month internal investigation, and the county is taking steps ranging from adding separate sleeping and shower facilities for male and female firefighters at older firehouses to enhancing its sexual-harassment and workplace-behavior training.

Capt. John Moak, who has been with the department for about four years and was paid about $65,967 a year, and Capt. William Whalen, who joined the agency in late 2005 and had a salary of about $59,119, were terminated.

County spokesman Dave Byron said one of the "biggest disappointments" of the investigation was that the two midlevel managers did not deal with problems when they learned about them.

"That's why they were disciplined," he said. "This did not hit the radar screen of upper management the way it should have."

Sexual advances

Firefighter Laura Chorost told investigators that the inappropriate sexual advances occurred during training in November 2004, two months after she joined the department, but she was warned by a fellow firefighter not to file a complaint because she was on probation and could be terminated without cause.

Many of her complaints centered on firefighter-paramedic Mark Nordquist, her partner while she was assigned to one of the county's older stations, Station 45 on State Road 44, west of DeLand, from May 13, 2007, until June 25, 2007.

She complained that Nordquist did not assist in work details, was slow to respond to calls for service, provided poor patient care, watched adult channels on the station's television and made sexual advances toward her, Capt. Kenneth J. Modzelewski wrote in his report. Chorost also accused Nordquist of filing a false report that she was involved in inappropriate sexual activity while on duty.

Nordquist collected money from firefighters and bought satellite-television service for the station, the report states. Adult channels should not have been part of the package, Byron said. Steps will be taken to prevent that, he said.

'Keep it in house'

Chorost said she kept a log of the incidents and furnished a copy of the log to Lt. Jason Castelli. She later talked to Lt. Michael McMillen, who told her to "keep it in house," she told Modzelewski. She said she received a threatening phone call from McMillen after filing the complaint.

Castelli and McMillen were demoted from lieutenant to firefighter. McMillen was suspended without pay for 10 24-hour shifts, and Castelli was suspended without pay for three shifts.

Chorost also made a complaint, that later was not sustained, to Lt. Eric Nicholson, but Nicholson took no action, Modzelewski said. Nicholson was demoted to firefighter and suspended without pay for three shifts.

Nordquist, who joined the department in April 1998, was suspended without pay for three 24-hour shifts and ordered to participate in a performance-improvement plan.

One other lieutenant was given a written reprimand.

Many of fire stations were built before women joined the service, Byron said. They will be retrofitted to provide separate sleeping and shower facilities, he said, adding that there also will be a new emphasis on sexual-harassment and workplace-behavior training.